Sopranos Star Arrested

July 5, 2001 -- (ABCNEWS.com) It might seem like an episode of The Sopranos.

But 16-year-old Robert Iler, who plays Tony Soprano's troubled son Anthony "A.J." Soprano Jr. on the HBO show, was arrested early Wednesday in New York and charged with two counts of second-degree robbery and one count of marijuana possession. He pleaded innocent at an arraignment Wednesday evening and was released on $2,500 bail.

According to ABCNEWS.com's sources, Iler told police he was not involved in the robbery. The sources said they did not know what, if anything, he said about the drug charge.If convicted of the robbery charges, Iler would face up to 15 years in prison. Iler's attorney disputes the allegations against his young client. "My client didn't threaten anybody, my client didn't hear anybody threaten anybody, my client didn't hear anyone ask for money," said attorney Steven Mintz. "Robert didn't hear anybody or see anybody receive money. And he only learned what had happened much later, when he was picked up." $40, Marijuana — and a World of Trouble Police said Iler and three other boys confronted two other teenagers after midnight in a park on the Upper East Side of Manhattan and demanded money. Police said the suspects claimed to have a weapon but did not produce one. The teens allegedly gave Iler and his companions $40, sources said.

The alleged victims then reported the incident to police and identified Iler and his companions, Alban Selimaj, 16; Michael Cournede, 19; and a 15-year-old male whose name was not released due to his age, police said. Police said they found a pipe and a small amount of marijuana on Iler and a box cutter on Cournede. All four were charged with robbery, and Cournede faces a criminal weapons possession charge for the box cutter. The 15-year-old was released to his parents. Life Imitating Art? Iler got his start in commercials at the age of 6. Known mostly for his role as Tony Soprano's son on HBO's The Sopranos, Iler has also appeared in Oz, another hit show on the cable network.

The young actor, who plays a troubled teenager who causes problems for his Mafia family with his misbehavior on the popular series, joked about his arrest with the other suspects, according to police sources, The Associated Press reported.

In one episode, the character was caught cheating on a mathematics test, and in another he broke into his school and vandalized a trophy case and threw furniture into the pool. One of Iler's neighbors in Manhattan said the teenager doesn't seem like the character he plays on television.

"He's a well-behaved kid, so hopefully he's just in the wrong place at the wrong time and things will work out right for him," Margie Daly said.

ABC station WABC in New York contributed to this report.